A Hero's Sin
by ArynAlSiman
Summary: If you saved the world, what sins are you permitted to commit afterwards? Ocarina of Time fiction, LinkXMalon pairing, takes place after the game. Starts up with a lot of LinkXZelda, but elaborates into something else. Rated M, just in case.
1. Prologue

_Right, this is my first fanfic EVER, så feel very free to comment and telling me how to improve. Since I am from Sweden there will probably be grammar stuff and typos here and there, so be sure to check it properly :P  
At first, thsi might seem as a Zelink, but it will pretty soon turn out to be more of a Link-Malon kind of story. The reason? I think that is how it's supposed to be._

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. Regrettebly.

* * *

**A Hero's Sins**

**Prologue**

People say, that when the dark tower of Ganondorfs Castle finally crumbled and fell, after standing tall for almost seven years, the sounds of the explosions and thunderlike roars of the crashing stone walls were loud enough to be heard all over the land. Others say that many didn't hear any sound at all, quite the contrary; it was just like if the whole of Hyrules inhabitants and nature went silent, as if the land took a deep breath before realizing that they were finally saved, as the Hero of Time and Princess Zelda together pushed themselves, and therefore destiny itself, to the very brink of death. Balancing on a knifes edge, the two young shouldered the fate of the whole world when facing the Evil King and tore down his castle on themselves in the process. Whether there was sound or not in the rest of the land, the hero and princess themselves did not care about at that precise moment. They were busy clinging on to each other, praying to the Goddesses for help, hoping none of the big chunks of rocks would tumble down on them, crushing them or making them fall down in the vast lava pit beneath. As have been told time and time again since that day, both of them managed to survive, and even defeat Ganondorf a second time when he arose as the demon Ganon. And according to the stories they tell in the land of Hyrule now some years later, it was in that very moment, as the Hero of Time let the Master Sword lay at his feet while tending to his frightened princess, that the two young fell in deep love.

With the help of the Seven Sages and the Great Fairies of Hyrule the land was soon restored to its former glory. The Royal Castle was rebuilt, together with its town, the King returned from a near decade in exile, the forests, fields and mountains were cleared from whatever remains of evil Ganondorf left behind by the freshly recruited soldiers that now patrolled the land once again. And Link, once a young outsider from Kokiri Forest, was praised as The Hero of Time, his name soaring across the kingdom, making him a celebrated champion, loved and admired by everyone. And he should be. He had saved them. He had saved Hyrule.

Links greatest reward was not, however, the admiring masses. It was not the house in Castle Town, built especially for him when the town was rebuilt. It wasn't even the access he got to the Kings private treasure chamber, making him a very wealthy man. No, his prize was the princess. The wedding was as beautiful as anyone could ever hope for, and as the two young made their vows together the people of Hyrule once again felt that sensation as if the whole land held its breath just before plunging in. And the wedding kiss was the plunge, into a new, brighter era of happiness and love, as simple and pure as a Kokiri boy and a beautiful princess.

At least, that was what they all wished for.


	2. A Chilly Morning

**1. A Chilly Morning**

Waking up in the Royal Castle was always quite an experience for Link, no matter how many times he did it. It was just something special about the morning sun shining in through the great windows at the end of his big, soft bed, thin, purple curtains hanging down to soften the rays as they played over his waking face. Opening the windows to let the morning breeze in would always be the first thing he would do, before washing up. Link loved the smell from the sea of flowers coming from the gardens below his dormitory, and this particular morning he took an extra deep breath from where he stood in front of the windows, filling his lungs with clean, fresh air. He needed it, washing away the bad dream he had experienced during the night. He wrinkled his eyebrows at the memory of it – Hyrule as it had been when he first walked out of the Temple of Time, after his seven years long sleep. Those were dreams that would never leave him, he thought. And he didn't mind, anyhow, really. After an adventure like that he was happy to even be alive, some bad dreams was hardly a serious problem.

"Good morning, master Link," a dry, squeaky voice greeted him as he left his bedroom and strolled into the living room of his private chambers. The voice belonged to his butler, a spry man in about the same age as Link himself. His name was Malok and although Link thought fondly of him he was just as dry as his voice. Very professional, but not what Link would call great company.

"Morning, Malok," he said, stretching out his arms and back while walking through the room towards the bench where he the night before had laid his clothes. He wanted to get dressed as fast as possible before…

"Master Link, I'm sorry but Her Majesty has ordered me to ask you to bear the Ceremonial Kokiri Outfit this day!"

_Damn it! _Link ignored the servant and continued his walk towards the bench. He wouldn't put those silly green clothes on today _again_, he just couldn't stand it. He would wear normal, Hylian clothes, just like everyone else. The only problem was that Malok, knowing his master, had already removed his clothes from the bench. Link sighed and turned to face his butler. Malok had a small smirk on his face.

"There, there, master Link. You must think I'm soft in the head!" he said with a laugh. Link gave up, laughing as well.

"I knew it was a bad idea hiring you, Malok. You never let me do what I want," Link lightheartedly pouted.

Malok's mysterious smirk came back. "Now, Master Link, how would the world look if everybody could do what they wanted to?"

About half an hour later the royal family gathered for breakfast in one of the smaller lounges in the back of the castle. The King was talking about how the Zoras had begun to show more interest in taking a more active role in the newly founded Hylian Council, a committee founded shortly after the victory against Ganondorf with the goal of preventing the races from dividing again. The Princess and he was deeply engaged in the conversation, with the King speaking and his daughter listening, nodding and sometimes making a positive sound like "Yes, father" or "Precisely, father". Link, on the other hand, was sitting a bit away from them, eating his eggs and bread in peace. He was still sulking because of the clothe incident that morning. Although he didn't want to show it in front of Malok, he actually hated that his wife made him wear that stupid, green outfit. It wasn't even the real Kokiri tunic he had worn during his quest, it was just a copy. A copy with "some minor improvements". Zelda's words. The fabric was lighter, finer, almost like silk. The belts were useless and some of them didn't even fill any functions, the just hanged there for the look. On top of that, the outfit was filled with medals and golden details, like flying fairies and the Triforce. Link assumed it was all very nice, but he hated the clothes. They felt phony. And he felt disgusted.

"I hate this outfit," he suddenly exclaimed.

The King stopped in the middle of a sentence and the two royals looked at him with the same deep, blue eyes. Link sunk deeper in his chair. He always felt so simple when they looked at him like that. They were royals, nobles. They knew politics, religion, geography, history. Link was just a Kokiri boy. He didn't fit in here. His heart ached when he remembered that he hadn't fit in back in Kokiri Forest either.

The moment of stillness broke when the King abruptly exploded in a roaring laughter. Zelda looked at her father for a short moment, then looked at Link with a rather confused face. Link knew these moments. This was how the nobles handled their problems. At least that was something he had learned quickly. He started to laugh as well, smashing his hand in the table as he did. Zelda, still confused, started to smile before joining in with a small, careful laughter. Some time they sat there laughing, until the King stopped and dried his eyes.

"Well, young Link, I think that this is one of the few things I can thank Ganondorf for – without him you wouldn't be here, and then we wouldn't have had the benefit of enjoying your good humor!"

They all laughed a bit more, although Link felt the gall climbing up his throat. He quickly finished his meal, thanked the King for his hospitality and excused himself.

"Where are you going, _husband_?" Zelda asked, her first words aimed directly at him that morning.

"Just checking out the grounds. I'll be back before sunrise, _You're Majesty_."

He had not missed her putting the emphasis on "husband", and he did not think she had missed the weight he put on her title. She didn't smile when he left.


	3. In the Gardens

_Right, thank you for the reviews, it's always great to read what you think! So please do! Now, I know this might not look like a Link/Malon fic but you should know that it's coming in later chapters. This is all to... build it up, so to say. I hope you like it! Read and review, please :D_

_And sorry for the grammar! Still learning ^^  
_

_And I do not own Legend of Zelda or anything of this at all no I do not no no no!_

* * *

**2. In the Gardens**

Link's muscles where trembling from anger and frustration as he entered the castle grounds from one of the smaller gates. The King had successfully and yet subtly pointed out that the only reason Link had permission to even get near the castle, and the princess, was that he had fought some battles. That was how the King thought about Link's time travelling adventure: some battles. Link was just a commoner who had happened to stumble upon the Master Sword and with its help defeated Ganondorf. To the King, Link was no chosen one. Anyone could have done what Link had done, if they had wielded the legendary Sword. The reagent did of course not show this opinion of his out public, he had never even spoke of it in private with Link. He was a perfect gentleman and, like his daughter, always tried to keep any possible conflicts as far away as possible. This didn't hide the facts, though, not at all. If you knew the King at all you could easily notice his thoughts and feelings about Link. And Link liked to think that he knew the King a bit.

The grounds around the castle had always been beautiful, but during the years after Ganondorfs defeat they had become grand. The gardens were located at the back of the castle, away from the busy Castle Town and its bustling market. Link liked to stroll the hedge labyrinth, which he knew by heart, and sitting by the small pond, throwing pebbles in the water and thinking of the old days. The simple days. As he now sat down at his usual spot under a big willow he started to think about how funny it was that he actually was longing back to the days of Ganondorf. At least, he thought, those days had given him a meaning. Those days he always knew what he was supposed to do. Now he was just some sort of ex hero, loved and respected by everyone except for the King. And himself. Who was he now? A duke? A prince, even? Whatever he was he was no noble by blood, and he felt utterly alone in the society he had been pushed into. He felt extremely sorry for himself. And this day had started so good.

Completely occupied with his own thoughts, Link didn't hear the subtle steps on the gravel path behind him until the owner of the steps was just behind him. Link flinched with surprise but didn't bother turning around. By then he had already identified the perfume.

"Link," she said as she placed one hand on his shoulder. Link lowered his head, wallowed in self pity and sulked.

"Zelda," he replied stubbornly. He wasn't going to show weakness before she did.

She sat down beside him, their arms touching, and watched him silently. Link pretended not to notice and engaged a highly immature staring contest with the pond. They sat so for several minutes until Zelda sighed and leaned against his chest, stroking the back of his hand with her delicate fingers.

"You know," she started. "Father can be a real pain."

Link muttered under his breath, but Zelda didn't take notice.

"He's more of a royalist than anyone else in the castle, and we both know it. He's obsessed with pure blood. He can be a complete oaf sometimes, he doesn't really care much about other peoples feelings and at times he can be as charming as a Giant Skulltula."

She sat up and looked Link in the face. Link was determined not to let the pond win the staring contest.

"And yet," she continued. "And yet he is one of the most loved and respected rulers Hyrule has ever seen. Link, I know what you think of my father, and mostly I very much agree with you, but he is a good king and most often a good man. But he is old. And you know how the old ones are, they all have trouble handling changing times. Father is most certainly worried about me, about the Kingdom. He wonders what there will be next. Princesses don't marry Kokiri folk. They marry princes."

Links head sunk. His wife took it in his hands and forced him to look at her. He loved her eyes. He remembered the first time he had seen them, in the old gardens when he had sneaked into the castle for the first time.

"The thing is, Link, that I don't want to marry a prince. I want you, Link. Because I love you. I love you, I have since I first saw you, and I will love you until the Goddesses decides to break the world down again and I shall cease to exist."

Link couldn't help smiling a bit. Zelda laughed her clear laugh and kissed him fondly on the cheeks.

"I love you to, Zelda," he said and kissed her back. "You know I do. It's just… I feel so alone sometimes. With all the politics and all the treasure and pretty things and my own butler and everything. And your father… Sometimes I just feel so very unwanted."

Zelda sighed and smiled at him.

"The Hero of Time, finally brought to his knees! Not by monsters or evil kings…-"

"There is one evil king in this very castle, my dear!"

"- but by politics and pretty things. Really, Link, I'm starting to wonder if you really are the brave man I married!"

Link blushed and looked away. Goddesses, he felt silly. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself, when he really had nothing to worry about.

"And about not being wanted," Zelda continued while slowly positioning herself on top of him, putting her own face very close to his.

"I can show you right now how much… I want you!"

There was something in the back of his mind that kept nagging Link as Zeldas tongue wrestled his own, but he decided to let it go for the moment. The princesses bodyguards quietly moved away from the pond as her dress came off and Link began to fondle her pale breasts, stroke down her back, touching, kissing her body.

Yes. It could wait. Whatever it was, it could wait.


End file.
